


Misnomer

by supershadsy



Series: Limit Breaker [4]
Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-02-23
Packaged: 2018-05-22 20:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6093234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supershadsy/pseuds/supershadsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cloud sticks his foot in his mouth, and has hell to pay for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Misnomer

**Author's Note:**

> All I can really say is to blame @SonicTheHedgehog for spurring this idea. Enjoy!

_ “Nmn…” _

Cloud hovered over a shirtless Link, the night alone to them, and only the small light of a lamp illuminating their surroundings. His shadow cast over his body, but he could still see and hear him breathing hard, the lines in his neck pulsing. Cloud ran a thumb over the top of his forehead, down over the bones in his cheek, through to his lips. Link’s eyes lowered, and he nipped at his thumb, hot and needy.  _ Oh, boy… _

Link wasn’t satisfied to just be teased, and he kissed his thumb away, sitting up and meeting him for another kiss, aching and hungry. There were moans in the very back of his throat that Cloud could feel through his chest, and it made his heart race faster.  _ It’s funny, sometimes...when we’re doing this, I get flashes of memories _

_ (dark hair, bright eyes) _

_ that come back _

_ (that grin, that shining grin and that burst of energy, always encouraging me) _

_ out of nowhere.  _ He closed his eyes tight and ran his hands over the back of Link’s neck, light and gentle at first, but then hard and fierce, pressing him closer.  _ Zack...I wonder if we shared more time together… _

_ He’s so much like you.  _

Suddenly, Link tore away from his lips and nibbled down through his neck, biting soft, harder, then the  _ hardest,  _ causing him to yelp.  _ “A-ah!”  _ Cloud cried, and Link smiled against his neck.  _ So intense…!  _

Link’s hand wandered down to the brim of his briefs, where he snuck a hand underneath him and began to stroke him, slow and steady.  _ “O-oh,  _ oh Gods…” Cloud murmured.  _ “Nnmn,  _ Zack…”

Link froze. So did Cloud.  _ Oh, shit.  _ His breath caught in his throat, and adrenaline gripped his spine, rendering him paralyzed.  _ I...I didn’t...shit, shit…! _

With a long, heavy sigh out his nose, he withdrew, refusing to look at him, and scooted himself off the bed, climbing up to the top bunk. “L-Link, wait,” Cloud pleaded, fumbling his way off the bed to stand at the bunk. “I-I’m really,  _ really  _ sorry, it...it just...I was...I…”

Link muttered something, so quiet that even Cloud couldn’t hear it. “Wh...what?” he said, his voice reduced to a trembling whisper.

His back was to him on the top bunk. “I’m  _ not  _ Zack,” he replied, a little louder.

“I know,  _ I know,”  _ Cloud replied, clenching his fists hard enough for his nails to dig into his palms. “Y-you just...you’re so much like him, and I…”  _ No, that doesn’t help.  _ “D-damn it, Link, I’m sorry--! P-please…”

He made no reply, not turning to acknowledge him. 

Frustration continued to bubble in his gut. “Won’t...won’t you say something?”

Nothing. 

Cloud slammed his fist against the side of the bunk, before snapping off the lamp and climbing into his own bed.  _ Great work, great fuckin’ job. I know, I know I should just  _ forget  _ about Zack, I’m never going to see him again no matter what, but _

_ (“You’re my living legacy.”) _

He winced, drawing the covers over himself.  _ I...can’t. It’s not fair to him, and what he stood for. But, Link, I really...I didn’t mean it.  _

_ Gods, I hope things are better in the morning… _

It was well into the night before he fell asleep.

* * *

 

The next morning, Cloud was not awoken by his standard good morning kiss from Link, and instead found himself in the bedroom alone.  _ Of course,  _ he thought. He got dressed, sheathed his sword behind his back, and shuffled his way out into the main hallway.

In the cafeteria, Link was fixated on consuming breakfast, his tray a little lighter on food than usual. Zelda was on his other side, running her finger over a book laid open before her. “Hey,” he greeted, settling down in front of them.  _ He’s sitting beside her again… _

“Good morning,” Zelda replied absently, still fixated on her book. Link said nothing, not even meeting his eye. Cloud squinted at him.  _ Come on, please!  _ He waved his hand in front of his hand, forcing him to look up. This was effective, but it was only for a short moment, his face drawn and dismissive. 

Cloud leaned back and sighed.  _ He definitely won’t talk, that’s for sure. And it’s not something I’d want to talk about with Zelda here.  _ His fingers drummed on the table in front of him.  _ I wonder.  _ He snapped his fingers, causing Link to flick his attention up once again, and began to sign.  _ “I’m really sorry about last night,”  _ he signed, slow and deliberate. 

Link huffed and begrudgingly set his fork down.  _ “I’m not Zack,”  _ he replied, each motion of his fingers blunt and forceful.

_ “I know that,”  _ Cloud signed, biting his lip.  _ “I really didn’t mean to. You’re really--” _

Before he could finish, Link started signing again.  _ “Forget about it. Forget about it.”  _ He crossed his arms.

_ “Link…”  _ The sign for his name was an “L”, held out like a sword with one hand on his wrist, then brought to the chest, and Cloud let it linger against his heart for a moment.  _ You’re the most important person here for me. Please, don’t do this. Don’t shut me out. _

“What do you two have lined up for today?” Zelda asked, not privy to the silent conversation. 

“Er, I  _ think  _ we’re doing drills together,” Cloud answered. “Although, maybe--”

Link nodded slowly before he could finish his sentence, pushing a half full tray of food away from him. “Yeah, then. I-I guess...we’re going.” Cloud rose from his seat, and Link soon followed, head down toward the floor, but behind him none the less. “Later.”

“Have a good practice,” Zelda replied. Despite her distracted tone, Cloud felt the scrutiny of her gaze follow him out, and he tried to feign a casual disposition, shoving his hands in his pockets.  _ She knows something’s up.  _ He swallowed back a bitter taste to the back of his throat.  _ How the hell am I going to fix this?  _

* * *

They arrived on Battlefield, familiar territory, but this time, there was a clock timer sitting on a platform at the edge of the stage. “Wait, we’re doing timed today?” Cloud asked.

Link didn’t respond, only winding the clock for two minutes and drawing his sword. “All right, fine,” Cloud said, clumsily pulling out his sword and wielding it in front of him.  _ If it makes you feel better to just wail on me, then go for it.  _

_ If it’ll make you smile again...go for it.  _

The timer clicked, and Link was on his feet, dashing toward him recklessly. One hard swing from above his head landed heavily against the Buster Sword, nearly thrusting him backward. As soon as he blocked it, he ripped it away, jabbing at his gut.  _ He’s never this aggressive,  _ he thought, Link’s blows so quick and rushing that he could barely get a slash in.  _ I’m so used to him thwarting me back with his arrows, or his bombs, but-- _

In his thoughts, Link took the time to ready a backswing, and hit him with one, two,  _ three  _ sword strikes, flinging him high into the air. When he was up there, he jumped up to meet him, spinning his sword around.  _ “HEEYAH!”  _ he cried, the spin of slashes forcing him even higher until 

_ crack! _

The familiar final spike of heat and pain filled Cloud’s body, as he shattered into the ceiling of the stage. 

His return was quick, barely enough time for him to catch his breath as he jumped down from the respawn platform and back in front of Link. Despite barely being able to get a swing at him, Link was breathing heavily, grinding his teeth.  _ He’s pushing himself too much.  _ “T-take it easy,” Cloud said. “This is just practice--”

Link came lunging at him once again, grunting under his breath and trying to slash across his middle. Cloud managed to catch him, grabbing by the collar and throwing him aside.  _ Now I’m the one who has to keep him back--!  _ He focused all his energy into his blade, slashing it forward to send several Blade Beams Link’s way, keeping him back.  _ But, I can’t do this forever… _

After three hits, Link held his shield up, blocking the projectiles and forcing himself forward in spite of the repeated blows. Cloud switched tactics, jabbing forward right when Link was within his sword’s reach. This barely deterred him, and he rolled underneath his sword and jabbed at his legs. Cloud slipped backward, leaving him open for Link to cut him twice across the shoulder, fresh pain surging through his arms. 

“Damn it!” Cloud shouted, staggering back. Link’s eyes were still filled with fire, nearly glowing. “I  _ told  _ you, I’m  _ really  _ sorry--! I won’t do that again, I promise!” 

Link back him right up to the edge of the platform, and with a short backswing, he sent Cloud flying off into the sky.  _ I can still make it back,  _ he thought, as his momentum brought him within reach of the edge. His eyes flickered back up to Link, who was standing right where he wanted to grab, with an arrow drawn and ready.  _ Oh, shoot-- _

He let it fly with precision timing, and it stuck deep into his shoulder, tight and hard. He flinched, but now the edge was too far, too far and he 

_ smashed _

into the abyss below.

Within a moment, he was back, just as the timer rang. Huffing, Link ran back to the opposite side of the stage and clicked it again, resetting the clock. “Again? You haven’t had enough?” Cloud panted, rubbing his shoulder where the arrow had pierced him.  _ This isn’t just stress relief...come on, Link… _

He grunted, his shield just below his eyes with his sword hand quivering. “Talk to me,  _ please,”  _ Cloud said, adjusting his grip on his own sword. “Look, I know that I say you remind me a lot of Zack, but--”

Link dove at him, and Cloud tried his best to keep his train of thought as he blocked his blows. “You’re  _ different!  _ You’re not...ghh, you’re not a replacement f-for him…” He couldn’t tell if his words were helping, as Link still was just as ferocious, even if his speed was starting to suffer. “You’re  _ more  _ than that! You’re the one who helped me, before I could even remember anything about anyone!” 

With every slash, Link’s fatigue showed, a lagging follow through with his sword, grunting with every swing, a sheen of sweat on his brow. The intensity was lessening enough so Cloud could finally get his own swings in, even if just for spacing. “When I was in that Fortress, sure, I saw Zack, but I saw  _ you  _ there, too! You were  _ first!”  _

Their swords clashed together, and they pushed against one another in a stalemate. “Don’t shut me out!” Cloud shouted through gritted teeth. “Damn it,  _ come on!”  _

It was Cloud who out-pressured him, shoving him down, toppling to the ground. As soon as he hit it, he chucked his shield aside and stabbed his sword into the ground below him, head lowered and still gripping onto it with one hand. His shoulders shook, and after a moment of silent, he gasped, piercing the air with its sharpness. Cloud’s heart sunk as he returned his sword to his back and knelt in front of him.  _ Link… _ The urge to reach out to him, to touch his face as tears streamed down it, was overwhelming. But, Cloud stayed where he was.

“I-I…” Link started, then shook his head wildly, lifting his hands in front of his bowed head.  _ “I’m not Zack,”  _ he signed again, trembling.  _ “I’m never who anyone wants me to be.” _

“What?” Cloud exclaimed, then lowered his voice. “That’s not…”

_ “Not the right Zack, not the right Link,”  _ he continued, then jerked his head up, each motion of his hands violent and forceful.  _ “I am only me!”  _

He spelled each word out, except for when he pointed at himself, slamming his chest and gripping his tunic in the process. He sputtered and gasped, head dropping back to the ground as he gripped his sword. Tears slid down its metal body, streaking like rain down the hilt. “Wh-whatever good that is…” he whispered, tone watery.

Cloud stood and walked around him, kneeling behind him and hugging around his back, arms around his chest. “It’s good,” he muttered into his ear. “It’s  _ more  _ than good, you hear me?  _ You’re  _ more than good.”

Link sniffled hard, his hand eventually reaching to grip Cloud’s arm around him. “I know there’s no going back for me,” Cloud continued, choosing each word carefully as Link heaved in his arms. “And I want to go  _ forward  _ with  _ you.  _ Got it? I just...messed up. It won’t happen again.”

Link shifted in his grip, and he loosened it just enough for him to turn around, leaning against his sword. His face was a mess, and he hastily wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his tunic.  _ “Promise?”  _ he signed weakly. A finger from his chin, splaying into an open palm that clapped against his other closed fist. 

Cloud nodded. “I promise,” he said, and signed it at the same time as well. His hand lingered on the finishing flourish, and Link reached for his open hand, entwining his gloved fingers in with his. And finally, despite his teary eyes, 

Link smiled at him.

It was small, it was faint, but it was there.

Cloud returned it, relief flooding through him.  _ Thank Gods,  _ he thought, reaching out to push his hair, wet and stringy against his cheeks, out of his face and cup his chin. “You had me scared for a second, there,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to lose…”

_ (someone so important _

_ someone so dear to me _ __

_ someone I love _

_ again) _

His sentence stuttered in his throat, and he left it incomplete, swallowing it down instead. Link snickered quietly, scooting himself upright to be closer to him. “Neither did I,” he whispered, and kissed him with swollen lips, struggling to stay steady.  _ We won’t lose each other,  _ Cloud thought, sinking deeper into his touch.  _ Not if I have anything to say about it.  _

Behind them, the timer chimed for the end of the round, and they chose to ignore it.


End file.
